If you want your video to perform well on YouTube, you need to be careful about the thumbnail. Your thumbnail is essentially the headline of your video and you need to make sure that it captures the attention of your target audience. The thumbnail is the best way to present your video to your audience, but creating a thumbnail can be challenging. In this blog, we will take a look at the best YouTube thumbnail size.
Best YouTube Thumbnail Size in 2022
- The best YouTube video thumbnail size is 1280 pixels by 720 pixels.
- The YouTube thumbnail dimensions utilize an aspect ratio of 16:9.
- Check that the thumbnail is at least 640 pixels in width.
- Images are formatted in JPG, GIF, or PNG.
Maximum Size for YouTube Thumbnails
The maximum size for images you can upload to be used as thumbnails for YouTube will be two megabytes. When you upload an image bigger than that you’ll be notified which reads “File is bigger than 2MB,” and the upload is rejected.
What Is the Use of YouTube Thumbnails?
YouTube thumbnails are tiny thumbnail images used to display videos. They are designed to draw the attention of viewers and get them to click to watch the video.
These are some of the examples of customized thumbnails taken from the Dude Perfect YouTube channel:
Consider YouTube thumbnails as book covers.
They’re miniature versions of video content that are designed to spark interest and stimulate curiosity.
Why are YouTube Thumbnails so Important?
People often say “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
But, the fact is, the majority of people don’t, and the same applies to YouTube thumbnails. That means thumbnails can be the difference between making or breaking your YouTube videos.
A great thumbnail can assist you to gain hundreds of views. If you choose a bad thumbnail, your content isn’t seen.
Fortunately, YouTube allows you to personalize your video thumbnails.
If you upload a video, YouTube will automatically pull three still images from the video to make thumbnails.
While there’s an easy solution but it’s best to make custom YouTube thumbnails.
How to Add a Custom YouTube Thumbnail to Your Video
Let’s look at how you can upload your customized thumbnail image.
For the first step, visit YouTube.com and click on the camera-plus icon to upload your new video.
To include a custom thumbnail on the video you’ve already uploaded, visit your videos on YouTube Studio. YouTube Studio dashboard. Click on the video to modify the settings.
In the settings of the video, you’ll see three thumbnails automatically generated in the lower right corner of the display.
On the right-hand bottom of the screen is an option for uploading your own custom YouTube thumbnail.
Simply click on the box, select the photo from your device, then click “Upload.”
Compatible File Formats for Custom Thumbnail Images for Your YouTube Videos
Your image may be saved available in JPG (or JPEG), PNG, GIF (non-animated) as well as BMP formats for images.
There’s a newer, more modern image format that certain smartphone models (e.g., iPhones) currently use as a default. This is HEIC (for High-Efficiency Imaging Format). YouTube’s upload feature won’t allow you to select the HEIC file, which means you’ll need to convert it to JPG. convert it into JPG.
It is also not possible to make use of RAW pictures (e.g. Some examples of images that have extensions for files like .dng, .nef, .crw, .arw, or .gpr). These will need to be processed before being uploaded as JPGs.
Best practices for making an unstoppable scrolling YouTube thumbnail
1. Include a face in your YouTube thumbnail
Professional YouTuber Ali Abdal is the face of his YouTube channel. Ali is the person who ensures that his YouTube and other businesses on the internet run seamlessly. Because Ali is aware of this, a majority of his YouTube video thumbnails feature his face, as well as various other components. Take for instance the video thumbnail in which Ali talks about the way the course he took helped him achieve the first rank at Cambridge.
You could also apply this trick if you’re an aspiring vlogger, or have someone who appears in the majority of your videos. The inclusion of a face to your YouTube thumbnail gives viewers a feeling of familiarity and builds a connection with your viewers.
2. Implement the rule of thirds
A rule of thirds is a guiding principle that divides images into 9 equal pieces by using imaginary vertical and horizontal lines. The primary object of your photo must be placed at one of the intersections where two lines intersect. This will make your picture more interesting and exciting to take a look at. Take, for instance, the image below. It is split into 9 sections, with the subject of the picture on the left side of the intersection point.
For an ideal YouTube thumbnail to be effective, it’s suggested to fill in at least two-thirds or more of the image with the primary subject for the best viewing experience when using this method. The Nerdwriter YouTuber, who blogs about movies and art, seems to be using rules of thirds in the creation of his amazing video thumbnails. Take a look at the thumbnail for his YouTube video on Caravaggio, the widely-known Italian Impressionist painting artist Caravaggio here.
3. Make use of graphics and text to create your YouTube thumbnails
The School of Life creates videos about the philosophy of science, philosophy, as well as ways to enhance our lives generally. The School of Life’s YouTube thumbnails is designed according to the same template, using texts that are in relation to their titles as thumbnails. Take a look at the below image with some of their video content on relationships.
The thumbnails serve a double function. They let viewers know what the film is about and draw attention to the large, well-placed text. They’ve also become a staple of the brand and people recognize the distinctive style as the School of Life video. If you are looking to make similar thumbnails, either with graphics or text, remember the following in your mind:
Don’t overflow the thumbnail by putting too much text. You could even try to determine the best way to present your videos by testing different combinations of text.
Remember that these thumbnails are primarily displayed on mobile phones and look tiny So make sure to be aware of that when designing an individual thumbnail.
You can also put the title of your video as the thumbnail text, however, be aware of not overcrowding your thumbnail.
Be sure to ensure that the background text isn’t covering the text.
4. Add images and stills from your videos to your thumbnails like Netflix
One of the simplest methods to inform your viewers of the purpose of your video is to include stills or images of your video to create thumbnail images. You can further personalize the thumbnail image by including text, graphic elements, and your logo. Netflix utilizes this method to create almost of its YouTube videos’ thumbnails. Take a look at Netflix thumbnails here, for instance.
5. Use BOGY Colors
As you’re aware, the YouTube interface colors are black, red, and white. Therefore, if your thumbnails consist of predominantly black, red, and white, the likely they’ll blend into the YouTube interface and may not be noticed. Experts recommend making use of BOGY thumbnails. BOGY is a reference to the four colors of green, blue, orange, and yellow. Using these colors on your thumbnails specifically as background colors will make your videos stand out, and be noticed.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our article about the best YouTube thumbnail size guide. You can use this to come up with a good YouTube thumbnail size that is best suited to your marketing efforts. We know that a good thumbnail size can help your video get found easier and help you draw in more viewers. So what are you waiting for? Start creating some awesome thumbnail sizes today!
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